Local governments should work to offer enterprises and people easier access to better inter-provincial services, according to a circular issued by the General Office of the State Council on Sept 29.

The move comes amid efforts to transform government functions, streamline administration and enhance governments’ service delivery.

The inter-provincial government services should be geared to the needs of enterprises and people, and pursue innovation and efficiency, along with oversight across all links, the circular said.

The goal is to cover the 58 designated items on the list of inter-provincial services by the end of 2020, before basically incorporating all high-demand service items into it by the end of 2021, the circular said.

The circular counted inter-provincial services highly relevant to people’s livelihoods as a priority, involving education, employment, social insurance, healthcare, housing and travel, among other areas.

Among them are applying for social security cards, filing and settling medical bills, and transferring household registrations.

To support enterprises in their production and operations, the circular stressed simplifying approval procedures for cross-region investment as well as construction projects.

All regions are encouraged to spearhead pilot trans-provincial service programs, expanding their application in, for instance, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and to improve government services within each province.

The circular called for covering all administrative items on the national integrated platform for government services to handle all procedures online.

For some services that must be provided on site as required by law, the circular asked for a unified window in government service halls for cross-province processing of materials.

In addition, the circular also stressed interdepartmental coordination to minimize office visits for applicants, with documents shared via the national platform.

The platform should set up a special channel for inter-provincial services, backed by data sharing mechanisms and unified procedural rules and standards, the circular said.

Administrative agencies at or above county level should have facilities and personnel to offer inter-provincial services, the circular added.